Hayley Erbert Cries as She Receives a Standing Ovation During Her Return to Derek Hough's Tour

The 29-year-old has made a miraculous recovery after suffering a traumatic brain injury in December.

Hayley Erbert has made a triumphant return to the stage. The 29-year-old professional dancer performed on Sunday night alongside husband Derek Hough on his Symphony of Dance tour, becoming overwhelmed with emotion as she received a standing ovation from the audience. 

The big moment comes just four months after Erbert was hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury.

In a video of the show's final moments on TikTok, Erbert stands alongside her fellow dancers as the audience cheers. Then, Hough takes a step back to applaud his wife as the other performers follow suit. Erbert touches her hands to her chest and wipes tears from her eyes amid the standing ovation. 

"Went in a Derek Hough fan and came out a bigger fan of Hayley," the audience member wrote over the video. 

Dancing With the Stars pro Lindsay Arnold was among the commenters singing Erbert's praises, gushing, "You are the strongest most inspiring person I know." 

Derek Hough: A Symphony of Dance tour resumed April 14 in Melbourne, Florida, after it was put on pause in December due to Erbert's health scare.

Erbert was rushed to the hospital on Dec. 6 after she became "disoriented" during a performance in Washington, D.C.  She was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel, which required an emergency craniectomy. That injury ultimately led to another invasive and painful surgery, which replaced a large portion of her skull.

The show comes less than two weeks after Erbert stunned on the red carpet with Hough, showing off her new pixie 'do, as they celebrated the official launch of Hulu on Disney+. 

Hayley Erbert and Derek Hough attend a party celebrating the official launch of Hulu on Disney+ - Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty Images
Julianne Hough, Hayley Erbert, Derek Hough and Adam Shankman celebrate the official launch of Hulu on Disney+ - Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images

Back in February, Hough spoke to ET about his wife's recovery. At the time, he said it was "too early to tell" whether Hayley would be ready to physically resume performing. 

"Her presence will always be there," he promised. 

"She's very stubborn," he teased. "In the best possible way." 

Hough also said he was "in awe" of the way Erbert "handled everything with such grace and strength." 

"That's just her nature," he raved. "It was incredible." 

As for Symphony of Dance, Hough said he was filled with "a sense of gratitude to be back on that stage." 

"I really feel like the show we had and will have is so strong," he shared. "What I love is you really see the relationship of the dancers and the band. Every one of us onstage." 

Hough added that several of the dancers even went the extra mile to make themselves available for the rescheduled dates.

"This wasn't planned, right? We weren't planning on going out again," he explained. "They already had certain jobs booked and certain things. But I called them and said, 'Hey, we're gonna go back out. Are you available?' And they said, 'You know, actually, I have another gig but I'm gonna find [a] sub for that and we're gonna go finish this thing.'"

Erbert teased her return to the stage last week, sharing a video of rehearsals on her Instagram page.

"What a blessing (and surprise) it is to be able to be back on stage dancing with my love after such a crazy past four months," she wrote. "My healing journey has been nothing short of extraordinary and being able to dance again is igniting my soul in all the ways; speeding up my recovery even more. I am so appreciative of the doctors who have supported me in my decision to dance again and my team of specialists that have been assembled to assure that my health and safety is priority. I cannot wait for you all to see this show! It was so meaningful when we opened last year and now, after everything that has happened, it is truly even more special."

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